Though Derek Fisher's name has been bandied about for NBA coaching openings, he has not officially retired from playing. SUE OGROCKI, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The search for the Lakers’ 25th head coach has been slow and methodical, the process drawn out as team executives sift through a shallow pool of candidates, with special consideration, it seems, to those with franchise ties.

Mike Dunleavy, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott and Lionel Hollins – the lone outsider – have all received interviews in the wake of Mike D’Antoni's resignation in early May. But the considerable lack of curb appeal accompanying that list of names raises an interesting question: What of Derek Fisher?

The former Laker and playoff hero wrapped up his 18th season Saturday when the Oklahoma City Thunder was eliminated in the Western Conference finals by San Antonio. Even before the Thunder’s dismissal from the postseason, Fisher had been considered a candidate to make the jump directly to the bench, like the move by Brooklyn coach Jason Kidd before last season.

Fisher, 39, has been linked to the Knicks’ opening, where Phil Jackson is pulling the strings and the coaching search seems completely intertwined with the Lakers. Jackson, who is engaged to Lakers president Jeanie Buss, last week got himself fined $25,000 by the NBA for tampering after calling Fisher, his former point guard, “a person on my list who could be a very good candidate for this job.”

Fisher will meet with Jackson to discuss the Knicks’ job later this week, according to an ESPN.com report. The same report said the Lakers intend to reach out to Fisher, as well as former NBA head coaches Scott Skiles and Larry Brown. A Yahoo! Sports report said the Lakers are significantly cooler on Fisher than is New York.

On some levels, Fisher makes at least as much sense for the Lakers as the Knicks. He is a friend of the franchise and won five championships alongside Kobe Bryant, giving him considerable cachet with the demanding superstar.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said last month the Lakers’ next coach would “not necessarily” need to have coaching experience, but that it would be preferred.

“If I have to say we were leaning towards the type of a coach we would want,” Kupchak said, “I would say there would be experience involved, certainly at some level, but not necessarily. It’s just too early in the process.”

Fisher spent parts of 13 seasons with the Lakers and built career averages of 8.3 points and 3 assists. He served as the president of the players’ union from 2006 through last summer, a stint that included Fisher participating in negotiations between the league and the players during the 2011 lockout.

Though Fisher’s name has been bandied about for openings, the player who joined the Lakers from the same draft class as Bryant has not officially retired from playing.

A day after the Thunder’s 112-107 loss in Game 6 to the Spurs, Fisher said he remained undecided about his plans.

“For years, I’ve obviously thought about one day I won’t be able to play, and there will be a next,” he told reporters Sunday at Oklahoma City's exit interviews. “There will be something next. And maybe that time is here.”

Fisher said he would talk to his wife and kids before making any decisions. He acknowledged he was intrigued by the Knicks because of his longstanding relationship with Jackson.

“Also, with the Lakers having an opening,” Fisher said, “it for sure adds layers to it. But like other important decisions in life, I don't think you can be driven by what's going on externally. You have to have an internal set of boundaries and just kind of a compass that you make decisions by.”

Fisher added that he believes it is his “calling ... to be in a leadership position or some position of impact on other people.”

PROSPECTING FOR GOLD

A lot of possibilities exist for how the Lakers might use the No. 7 pick in the June 26 draft. And lest anyone doubted the Lakers would do their due diligence, many potential targets at that slot are in town to work out for Kupchak & Co.

The Lakers will work out 12 prospects at their El Segundo practice facility Wednesday, at least two-thirds of whom are slotted in most mock draft to go between the No. 5 and No. 14 picks in the lottery.

Headlining the workouts, which will be broken into two sessions, are Ohio State forward Noah Vonleh, Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart and Creighton small forward Doug McDermott.

Joining Smart and Vonleh in the first session are Michigan's Nik Stauskas, Kentucky's James Young, Syracuse's Tyler Ennis and Pepperdine's Brendan Lane.

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